J.Tithonus Pednaud of The Human Marvels blog has an intriguing post about Sam Alexander, the Man with Two Faces:

Although the details are a little sketchy, Sam was ultimately involved in a huge gasoline explosion that was the result of his own carelessness. While he was able to instinctively save his eyes by raising his arm, he received deed burns around his lips and lower face. Even more unfortunately his wounds festered and became severely infected. Doctors were forced to remove much of his lover face and lips, practically to the bone. As a result, Same Alexander was left with a permanent and disturbing teeth-gnashing grimace and a gruesome visage. [...]

Billed as ‘The Man with Two Faces’, Sam’s exhibition consisted primarily of a stage monologue detailing his story. Sam was a soft-spoken man with a gentle manner and soothing voice. He so lulled the crowd with his tale of heartbreak that when he revealed his face in a surprising flourish, people screamed and women cried. His showcase was so disturbing that Kortes made Sam the Blow Off attraction, an extra attraction patrons had to pay a premium to see and he was sincerely billed as ‘not for the weak of heart’. At more than one venue, Sam Alexander was paid not to perform.

Link (Once you're at The Human Marvels blog, you can click on the photo to get a larger view)